Edge QAM device configuration using a configuration file having a dynamic file format

ABSTRACT

A method of configuring an edge device in a network wherein a transport network interfaces with edge devices that interface with client devices involves a configuration file in a dynamic file format. The edge device is configured by downloading the configuration file to the edge device. The method comprises connecting the edge device to the network, downloading the configuration file to the edge device, and configuring the edge device. The configuration file is in a dynamic file format and contains configuration information for the edge device including information relating to at least one edge device input and information relating to at least one radio frequency output.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/758,487, filed on Jan. 12, 2006, which is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to provisioning, configuring, and monitoring edgeQAM devices.

2. Background Art

A modern hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) cable network in its typicalimplementation includes fiber cable from a headend to a local networkfiber node, and includes coaxial cable for the final signal distributionthrough a neighborhood. Modern two-way HFC infrastructures are capableof sending gigabytes of data per second to small pockets of homes in anarrowcast way.

Product and service offerings over broadband networks, including cablenetworks, have expanded in recent years. The cable networks are now usedfor additional products and services, for example, many cable networksnow offer high speed data service in addition to video programming. Inthe modern HFC cable network, the headend infrastructure may include acable modern termination system (CMTS) for providing data over cableservices in addition to quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)infrastructure for providing video content. The video QAMs may connectto various content sources, while the CMTS connects subscribers to theprovider network. Further, advances in technology allow somefunctionality to be provided from locations upstream or downstream ofthe traditional headend.

Video on demand (VOD) is one way to provide video content, and isavailable in certain broadband networks. To implement a video on demandplatform, it is necessary for the architecture to address resourceallocation and to address on demand session management.

In one approach to implementing an on demand platform, an architecturefor on demand session and resource management is both distributed andscalable. A distributed and scalable architecture for on demand sessionand resource management is described in International Application No.PCT/US2004/022230, filed on Jul. 9, 2004, published as InternationalPublication No. WO 2005/008419 A2, which entered the National Stage inthe United States on Jan. 10, 2006 as U.S. application Ser. No.10/595,039 and which is hereby incorporated by reference. Thearchitecture may involve various types of on demand services includingvideo on demand (VOD), network PVR, and switched broadcast video.

In an on demand platform, a transport network interfaces with edge QAMdevices which interface with client systems. In order to be used, anedge QAM device is required to be configured. More specifically, theedge QAM device must receive configuration information relating toports, addresses, radio frequency (RF) parameters, etc.

An existing approach to configuring an edge QAM device involves aconfiguration file that is downloaded to the edge QAM device. Theconfiguration file is in a fixed format, and contains configurationinformation for a known set of features. Typically, vendors use aproprietary file format for the configuration file. In general, there isno common or standard method of provisioning, configuring, and managingedge QAM devices from different vendors. As a result, configuration andmanagement of edge QAM devices can be difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method ofconfiguring an edge QAM device.

According to the invention, the configuration file utilized to configurethe edge QAM device is in a dynamic file format. That is, theconfiguration file is not in a fixed or static file format. Preferably,the configuration file takes the form of a self-describing document.Extensible Markup Language (XML) is suitable for the configuration file.An advantage of using a non-fixed format file is that configurabledevice functionality is not limited by the configuration file. Putanother way, devices need not be treated as being all the same.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the edge QAM device isable to bootstrap itself. The edge QAM device bootstrap process involvesan unconfigured device being able to use dynamic host configurationprotocol (DHCP) to obtain an Internet protocol (IP) address. The devicethen initiates a trivial file transfer protocol (TFTP) download of anXML-format device configuration file.

More generally, the unconfigured edge QAM device is able to get itselfan address on the network, and initiate a download to itself of theconfiguration file. DHCP and TFTP are well known and are suitable forthis purpose. Any suitable host configuration and file transferapproaches may be used to connect the edge QAM device to the network anddownload the configuration file.

In other embodiments of the invention, the edge QAM device need notutilize DHCP. For example, the device may be given a static networkaddress, possibly hard coded into the device. In accordance with theinvention, the configuration file that is utilized to configure the edgeQAM device has a dynamic file format, as opposed to being a fixed orstatic file format.

The advantages associated with embodiments of the invention arenumerous. For example, in the preferred embodiment, an edge QAM devicecan bootstrap itself to download a configuration file over a networkwherein the configuration file is in a dynamic file format, and ispreferably in the form of a self-describing document. The result is thatvarious different edge devices can all get themselves up and runningwhen connected, and get themselves configured in an appropriate way fortheir type. In addition, the dynamic format of the configuration filegives device configuration more independence from the network.

In the preferred embodiment, the invention provides an approach toprovisioning, configuring, and managing edge QAM devices, and mayinvolve various types of on demand services including video on demand(VOD), network PVR, and switched broadcast video. The approach may begenerally vendor agnostic, providing a common method to perform edge QAMdevice configuration, and allowing an operator to reuse operationssupport systems (OSS) tools and processes to manage new edge QAM devicesfrom different vendors.

It is appreciated that embodiments of the invention may involve anysuitable underlying initializing and provisioning technique with adynamic format configuration file. Further, the edge devices may takeother forms and the type of cable plant is not limited to coaxial cableor HFC arrangements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a network diagram in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a method of provisioning, configuring, and managingan edge QAM device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of theinvention; and

FIGS. 3A-3F illustrate an exemplary configuration file format usingExtensible Markup Language (XML).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIG. 1, the hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) cable network 10 providesservices to a plurality of client devices 12. A client device may take avariety of forms such as, for example, a set-top box. The headendequipment includes a plurality of edge quadrature amplitude modulation(QAM) devices 20. The edge QAM devices 20 distribute content to theclient devices 12. The edge QAM devices 20 are connected to the providernetwork 22 and receive content from any number of sources, such as acontent server 24.

It is appreciated that the architecture for the headend may vary. InFIG. 1, the edge QAM devices 20 are connected to the provider network22, and various services are provided to the client devices 12. Theprovider network 22 includes the appropriate infrastructure for theneeded services. As shown, the network includes a dynamic hostconfiguration protocol (DHCP) server 30, and a trivial file transferprotocol (TFTP) server 32 which serves the configuration files for theedge QAM devices 20. The various servers may be located at the headend,or may be located at other locations connected to the provider network22. Also illustrated are the network management system (NMS) andoperations support systems (OSS) 34.

The network management system allows the managing of network elementsto, for example, monitor and manage resources. For example, simplenetwork management protocol (SNMP) is a common method used by networkmanagement applications to query a management agent with a supportedmanagement information base (MIB) object. A MIB object may represent ahardware or software component, and indicates some information about thecomponent.

In order to be used to provide content to the client devices 12, theedge QAM devices 20 must be configured when connected to the providernetwork 22. FIG. 2 illustrates a method of provisioning, configuring,and managing an edge QAM device in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the invention. In the preferred embodiment of theinvention, an unconfigured edge QAM device uses dynamic hostconfiguration protocol (DHCP) to obtain an Internet protocol (IP)address; the device then initiates a trivial file transfer protocol(TFTP) download of an XML-format device configuration file.

With reference to FIG. 2, at block 50, the unconfigured edge QAM deviceis provided with a network address. DHCP is suitable for this purpose;however, any suitable host configuration approach may be used to connectthe edge QAM device to the network. For example, the edge QAM device maybe assigned a static network address, or may be configured to connect tothe network using any other suitable process as appreciated by one ofordinary skill in the art. In addition, although an Internet protocol(IP) network is described, the network may be of a different type.

In the preferred embodiment, as part of the DHCP process, the edge QAMdevice provides some identification to the DHCP server. For example, theedge QAM device may include an identification of the device type, aswell as some device specific information. This may be achieved usingvarious known DHCP options or extensions.

In the preferred embodiment, the DHCP server provides a network addressand subnet mask to be used by the edge QAM device, the network addressof the TFTP server, and the name of the configuration file to retrievefrom the TFTP server. Further, the DHCP server provides a list ofnetwork addresses of one or more routers for forwardingdevice-originated traffic, a list of network addresses of one or moreDomain Name System (DNS) servers, and a domain name to be used by theedge QAM device. Finally, the DHCP server provides an address lease timeand a server identifier of the DHCP server. It is to be appreciated thatvarious aspects of the use of DHCP may vary depending on theimplementation, and appropriate use of options or extensions isunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, at block 52, the edge QAM devicereceives the configuration file from the TFTP server. The address of theTFTP server and the configuration file name were obtained during theDHCP process. In the alternative, any suitable file transfer approachmay be used to obtain the configuration file, and the above-describedapproach involving the TFTP server is understood to be the preferredembodiment. Further, any suitable approach may be used to inform theedge QAM device as to the location of the configuration file. Inaddition, the edge QAM device may provide an additional triggermechanism to cause the device to receive a new configuration filewithout requiring rebooting of the device.

In accordance with the invention, the configuration file has a dynamicfile format. Embodiments of the invention may involve any suitableinitializing and provisioning technique with a dynamic configurationfile. The configuration file has a dynamic file format and is preferablyin the form of a self-describing document, as opposed to having a fixedor static file format. In the preferred embodiment, Extensible MarkupLanguage (XML) is used for the configuration file. Advantageously,configurable device functionality is not limited by the configurationfile. That is, devices need not be treated as being all the same.

At block 54, the edge QAM device is configured according to the receivedconfiguration file. The details of an exemplary configuration fileformat using Extensible Markup Language (XML) are shown in FIGS. 3A-3F.As appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the inventioncomprehends a dynamic format configuration file and the details of theconfiguration file may take various forms depending on theimplementation. That is, the XML document definition represented byFIGS. 3A-3F is just one example of a configuration file format. Theinvention is not limited to any particular configuration file format.

In FIG. 3A, as defined by the exemplary file format, the configurationfile represents the configuration and includes a “Device” elementrepresenting the edge QAM device configuration as indicated at 60. Asindicated at 62, the “Device” element includes elements “NMS Access”representing one or more network management settings, “Component”representing one or more component settings, and “VendorConfig”representing any vendor specific settings. As indicated at 64, an “NMSAccess” element has a plurality of attributes to describe networkmanagement settings. Value types for the attributes are illustrated,along with a brief description.

The attribute “NMS AccessIP” indicates the address of the networkmanagement station. The attribute “NMS AccessMask” indicates the subnetmask of the network management station. The attribute “NMSAccessControl” specifies details of access control. The attribute “NMSAccessCommunityString” specifies a community string to be matched forSNMP access from the network management station specified in the “NMSAccessIP” attribute.

As indicated at 66 in FIG. 3B, a “Component” element has a plurality ofattributes to describe component settings. Value types for theattributes are illustrated, along with a brief description. A“Component” element also includes some elements relating to componentsettings.

The attribute “Type” describes the type of component being configured.The attribute “name” describes the name of the component. The attribute“cost” describes a static cost for use of the resource/component. Theattribute “streamingZone” indicates the streaming zone that thiscomponent operates in. The attribute “warehouse” indicates the networkaddress for the warehouse server. The attribute “warehouseHttpTimeout”indicates a timeout parameter for a warehouse client. The attribute“eventLoggingServer” indicates the network address for an event loggingserver. The attribute “capacityUpdate” indicates how often to send acapacity update to the warehouse server.

A “Component” element also includes an “EventLogLevel” element todescribe the event notification setting, an “ED_Info” element todescribe information for edge devices, and a “Discovery” element thatdescribes information for auto-discovery.

FIG. 3C illustrates further details of these sub-elements within a“Component” element. As indicated at 70 in FIG. 3C, the “EventLogLevel”element has a plurality of attributes to describe the event notificationsettings. As indicated at 72 in FIG. 3C, the “Discovery” element has aplurality of attributes to describe information for auto-discovery, andincludes some discovery-related data.

As indicated at 74 in FIG. 3C, the “ED_Info” element has attributes todescribe further information for edge devices, and includes sub-elements“ED_Inputs” for describing the inputs for the edge device and“ED_Outputs” for describing the outputs for the edge device.

In FIG. 3D, the “ED_Inputs” element is indicated at 76, and contains thesub-element “ED_Input” for describing a specific input. At 78, the“ED_Input” element has several attributes that describe further aspectsof the specific input. These attributes specify the network address andsubnet mask, port identification, and bandwidth of the edge deviceinput. The “ED_Outputs” element is indicated at 80, and contains thesub-element “RF_Output” for describing a specific radio frequency (RF)output. At 82, the “RF_Output” element has several attributes thatfurther describe aspects of the specific RF output. These attributesspecify the port identification, power level, frequency of the first QAMchannel, and port status. “RF_Output” element 82 further includes a“QAM_Info” sub-element for each QAM channel contained in the specific RFoutput.

FIGS. 3E-3F illustrate the configuration file format for the detailedinformation for each QAM channel. As indicated at 90 in FIG. 3E and at92 in FIG. 3F, a “QAM_Info” element includes several attributes as wellas an optional “PortMap” sub-element and an “Inband_Info” sub-element.The “Inband_Info” element includes a plurality of attributes asindicated in FIG. 3F at 94. It is appreciated that the detailedinformation for a QAM channel may vary depending on the implementation,as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described,it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe allpossible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in thespecification are words of description rather than limitation, and it isunderstood that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

1. A method of configuring an edge device in a network, the methodcomprising: providing, by an edge device, an identification of an edgedevice type to a network server; receiving, at the edge device, dataidentifying a configuration file from the network server, the data beingbased on the edge device type provided to the network server;downloading, by the edge device, the configuration file based on thedata identifying the configuration file received from the networkserver; configuring the edge device in accordance with the configurationfile; and wherein the configuration file is in a dynamic file format andcontains configuration information for the edge device includinginformation relating to at least one edge device input and informationrelating to at least one radio frequency output.
 2. The method of claim1 wherein the configuration information includes information relating tonetwork management to allow monitoring of the edge device.
 3. The methodof claim 1 wherein the configuration information includes informationrelating to at least one vendor specific setting.
 4. The method of claim1 wherein the configuration information includes information relating toa network address and port of at least one edge device input.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the configuration information includesinformation relating to quadrature amplitude modulation of at least oneradio frequency output.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein theconfiguration file is in the form of a self-describing document.
 7. Themethod of claim 6 wherein the configuration file is in the form of aself-describing document wherein elements describe the configurationinformation.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the configuration file isin accordance with Extensible Markup Language (XML).
 9. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising, prior to the step of providing, connectingthe edge device to the network including providing the edge device witha dynamic network address.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the dynamicnetwork address is provided by a host configuration server; and the dataidentifying the configuration file includes a specific location of theconfiguration file in the network.
 11. The method of claim 10 whereindownloading the configuration file further comprises: downloading theconfiguration file from the specific location.
 12. The method of claim 1further comprising, prior to the step of providing, connecting the edgedevice to the network including providing the edge device with a staticnetwork address.
 13. The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior tothe step of providing, connecting the edge device to the networkincluding providing the edge device with a network address based on ofthe edge device type of the edge device.
 14. The method of claim 1,wherein the edge device is a first vendor edge device and theconfiguration file contains at least one setting specific to a firstvendor, the method further comprising: providing, by a second vendoredge device, an identification of the second vendor edge device type tothe network server, wherein the second vendor edge device type isdifferent from the first vendor edge device type; receiving, at thesecond vendor edge device, second data identifying a secondconfiguration file from the network server, the second data being basedon the second vendor edge device type provided to the network server;downloading, by the second vendor edge device, the second configurationfile based on the second data identifying the second configuration filereceived from the network server; and configuring the second vendor edgedevice in accordance with the second configuration file, wherein thesecond configuration file contains at least one setting specific to asecond vendor different than the first vendor.
 15. A method ofconfiguring an edge device in a network, the method comprising:providing, by an edge device, an identification of an edge device typeto a server of the network; receiving, at the edge device, dataidentifying a configuration file from the server of the network, thedata being based on the edge device type provided to the server of thenetwork; downloading, by the edge device, the configuration file basedon the data identifying the configuration file received from the serverof the network; configuring the edge device in accordance with theconfiguration file; and wherein the configuration file is in a dynamicfile format and contains configuration information for the edge deviceincluding information relating to at least one edge device input,information relating to network management to allow monitoring of theedge device, information relating to at least one vendor specificsetting, and information relating to quadrature amplitude modulation ofat least one radio frequency output.
 16. The method of claim 15 whereinthe configuration information includes information relating to a networkaddress and port of at least one edge device input.
 17. The method ofclaim 15 wherein the configuration file is in the form of aself-describing document.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein theconfiguration file is in the form of a self-describing document whereinelements describe the configuration information.
 19. The method of claim18 wherein the configuration file is in accordance with ExtensibleMarkup Language (XML).
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the edgedevice is a first vendor edge device and the configuration file containsat least one setting specific to a first vendor, the method furthercomprising: providing, by a second vendor edge device, an identificationof the second vendor edge device type to the server of the network,wherein the second vendor edge device type is different from the firstvendor edge device type; receiving, at the second vendor edge device,second data identifying a second configuration file from the server ofthe network, the second data being based on the second vendor edgedevice type provided to the server of the network; downloading, by thesecond vendor edge device, the second configuration file based on thesecond data identifying the second configuration file received from theserver of the network; and configuring the second vendor edge device inaccordance with the second configuration file, wherein the secondconfiguration file contains at least one setting specific to a secondvendor different than the first vendor.
 21. An apparatus for use in anetwork, the apparatus comprising: an edge device connected to thenetwork, the edge device being configured to: provide an identificationof an edge device type to the network; receive data identifying aconfiguration file from the network, the data being based on the edgedevice type provided to the network; download the configuration filebased on the data identifying the configuration file received from thenetwork; and configure itself according to the configuration file,wherein the configuration file is in a dynamic format and containsconfiguration information for the edge device including informationrelating to at least one edge device input and information relating toat least one radio frequency output.